


How Cassie Lang Inadvertently Saved the Universe

by TheFreakWithTheWings



Category: Ant-Man (2015), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence - Ant-Man, F/M, Fix-It, Handwave Science, M/M, Multi, Quantum Realm, Temporary Character Death, WIP, Women Being Awesome, but not really, handwave infinity stone, handwave magic, other people think they're dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-04-12 05:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4466351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFreakWithTheWings/pseuds/TheFreakWithTheWings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frigga wasn't ready to die at Malekith's hands, so she sent her soul to the Quantum Realm, where she is surprised to find Janet van Dyne. They are soon joined by Pietro, who narrowly escaped death, and then Scott Lang, who left moments later. However, they were able to take advantage of his leaving and left the Quantum Realm themselves, accidentally restoring Peggy Caster to her youth in the process.</p><p>Also known as Fixing Civil War Before It Ever Happens Because Frigga Can Get Shit Done When She Needs To.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So my friends and I went to see the Ant-Man movie, even though there were a bunch of people saying that they were not only killing off Janet, but keeping her from ever coming back by shoving her in an alternate universe, or something. I don't remember exactly what it was. What I took from that movie though was that Janet was so awesome that she became Queen of another universe. My friends and I started talking about this, and it got more and more outrageous, and then I was finally like "What if everyone who died was actually alive, just living in the Quantum Realm with Janet as their queen? And when they went back to earth, they would de-age Peggy so that she doesn't die because quantum time hand wave science because Peggy and Janet were totally friends at SHIELD. And Natasha was probably their nemesis before Clint adopted her." And then I ended up writing it. This is not beta read. Read at your own risk, if you even bothered to read this ridiculously long note.

It was Janet’s choice to give her life for her country. She knew that Hank would blame both SHIELD and himself for her death. Her only regret, though, as she shrank further and further, was that Hope would grow up without her mother.

She tried to grow big again, but it was no use. The suit was out of power.

Janet shrank rapidly, past atoms, past particles, until time itself had no meaning.

There was no space or time. There was simply her, and she was everything.

-‹◊›-

Frigga had seen that her death would follow on the heels of Thor’s mortal Lady long before he had ever been banished to Midgard. Therefore, she had been prepared when the Lady Jane arrived in Asgard, reeking of an infinity stone to those who could sense it.

Frigga was Queen of the Nine Realms, and she wouldn’t allow death to remove her from her post, not now. Not with ancient dangers such as Malekith or the Mad Titan resurfacing.

She had used her magic to almost completely sever her soul from her body, so when Malekith killed her she didn’t ascend to Valhalla. Instead, she sent her soul to the Hidden Realm that lay just beneath the surface of reality. The Asgardians had discovered it centuries ago, and none had explored it more thoroughly than Frigga.

She was greatly surprised by the presence of another being in the Hidden Realm.

Time and space were meaningless there, so it took a bit of magic and mental trickery to figure out a reliable method of communication. Frigga was eventually able to figure out that her companion was a mortal woman, a superhero like Thor’s shield brothers and sister, and that the poor woman had become trapped in the Hidden Realm while saving her land.

Frigga had enough power to pull herself out, but not enough to bring the mortal shield maiden with her. So she stayed in the Hidden Realm, learning about her new friend and sharing her own life with Janet.

-‹◊›-

It was a fair trade, his life for the child’s and the archer’s.

Pietro was sad that he was leaving Wanda behind after years of being her twin. Maybe it was better that he was taken from her though; without his rage to feed hers she would be able to free herself from the pain of their parent’s death, finally healing. It would take her a long time to come back from the grief that his death would cause her, but she was strong. He had faith in her.

Pietro’s last thoughts before the pain and blood loss dragged him under were of his twin.

However, the power given to him by the infinity stone hadn’t just altered his body and mind; it had changed his soul. It hadn’t been a noticeable change; he was still the same person he had been before the experiment. His soul was just had slightly different properties than the normal human soul, just a little bit extra.

It was this extra bit that prevented Pietro from reaching whatever afterlife he had earned, and so his soul instead got lost in the Quantum Realm.

His body remained behind, stuck in a coma in the new Avengers’ facility, where the best doctors in the world tried to figure out how the young hero had survived the multiple bullet wounds and how to wake him up. Even his sister, with all her powers, couldn’t wake him. He wasn’t there.

-‹◊›-

The newest arrival to the Hidden Realm had given Frigga the power she needed to pull the three of them out because of his link to one of the infinity stones. However, she and Janet had been settled in to the Realm for so long that they needed something to pull them out. Hopefully before the brave young man also settled.

Therefore, when a man arrived wearing a suit that Janet recognized and then was pulled out by his daughter’s voice as it echoed through the Quantum Realm, the three lost souls were able to hitch a ride out with him.

Of the three of them, Pietro was the only one with a working body outside of the Realm, and so they were drawn to his bedside.

Pietro’s soul sank back into his body, and Frigga pulled on the power of his link to the infinity stone one last time, giving both herself and Janet their bodies back.

Frigga’s actions had repercussions that reached farther than startling Clint Barton, who was sitting vigil over the comatose body of Pietro.

While in one room Pietro Maximoff opened his eyes to the sight of his new friends and Barton’s shocked face - to which he cheekily croaked “You didn’t see that coming?”- in the next room Peggy Carter was reminiscing about the Howling Commandos with Steve Rogers.

It didn’t take a genius to see that she was dying, with her rattling breath, unsteady gaze, and the tears in the eyes of the man sitting next to her, gently cradling one of her fragile hands in his.

There was excess energy left over from the infinity stone, magic, and quantum power that Frigga had used to restore the bodies that she and Jan remembered to them, and it was driven by the mental energy of the infinity stone, seeking out the weakest mind in its vicinity.

In her youth, Peggy had been a force to be reckoned with, but her mind had been weakened by Alzheimer's. She was the perfect target for the leftover energy.

However, Frigga had given that energy a purpose: to restore the body that they remembered to them, and Peggy had been reminiscing about her life immediately after World War II.

And so it was that, with a sudden flash of light, Peggy Carter was returned to the prime of her youth, her mind and body completely restored.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was all planned out before any of the Civil War trailers were out, so I am largely going to be ignoring them in this universe.

Even though Clint had retired from Avenging after the whole Ultron deal, he still had an open invitation to the new Avengers facility whenever he felt like showing up. He had taken the kids with him to see their Auntie Nat and give Laura some alone time with little Nate.

He had gotten exhausted just watching his rugrats play with Nat, so, after making them promise to behave, Clint had left them with his friend and gone to visit Pietro.

In the month since he had retired, Clint hadn’t gotten much time to visit the speedster because so much of his time was dedicated to the new baby. He didn’t have a lot of experience sitting at bedsides - he was usually the one in the hospital bed - but Clint tried to make an effort to be interesting in case Pietro could hear him. After all, who didn’t like hearing about the antics of a newborn baby?

He was in the middle of regaling Pietro with the misadventures of Lucky, the family dog, with Nate when two people appeared out of nowhere on the other side of the bed.

Even though he had been assured by Steve, Nat, and his new bird bro that after a dude with shrinking abilities had broken in a few days ago they had upped security, Clint still carried at least three knives and a gun on his person at all times. Nat had no right to judge; she had at least twice that on her on slow days. He had grudgingly left his bow in the other room though, figuring he wouldn’t need it with only a comatose person for company.

Two strange women mysteriously appearing in the room had him pulling his gun and wishing he had been paranoid enough to bring in his bow.

“You didn’t see that coming?” croaked the previously unconscious young man on the bed. Had he been awake the whole time?

One of the women, a short blonde who looked vaguely familiar, was eyeing his gun warily. The other, a much taller blonde who looked like she was wearing what Clint thought might be Asgardian clothes- what the hell- smiled benignly at him. Oh no. No way in hell was he trusting that. No.

“Would you happen to be one of my son’s shield brothers?” the taller woman asked, managing to look regal even though they were in a stark white hospital room.

Clint was pretty sure he knew who the tall woman was, and he did not like his suspicions. 

“Depends,” he said, not lowering the gun. “Who’s your son?”

“Thor. I am Queen Frigga of Asgard.”

“Yeah, sure,” Clint snorted. “And I’m the Queen of England.”

The smaller blonde snorted. “You don’t look anything like her.”

“Relax,” Pietro wheezed from his hospitable bed. “They are friends.”

“Okay, so you don’t mind if I call for a few reinforcements?” Clint asked, narrowing his eyes. 

Officially, none of the hospital rooms had access to Friday - Helen Cho had said something about doctor-patient confidentiality and Stark had sighed dramatically and made it happen - which meant that Clint had to text the other Avengers for back up.

_ur bros awake. strange peeps here tho,_ Clint texted to Wanda.

_need u in speedys room. get cap,_ he sent to Sam. 

Rhodes was on a date with Pepper and Tony, so they wouldn’t want to be disturbed. Clint wouldn’t be surprised if Nat was already aware of the situation.

Wanda burst into the room with the Vision following behind her in a manner reminiscent of a duckling.

“Pietro!” she cried as she leapt for him, smothering him in an enthusiastic hug.

“Ow, ow,” he muttered under his breath, gripping his twin back just as tightly.

Meanwhile, the Vision was staring at the shorter blonde with a vaguely perplexed look on his face.

“Pardon me, but you wouldn’t happen to be Dr. Janet van Dyne, codename the Wasp, would you?” he asked.

Clint vaguely heard the other woman’s response of “Yes, have we met before?”, but most of his attention was caught by his phone, which had let out a loud falcon screech, indicating that he had a text from Sam.

_We have a situation,_ it said.

_yeah no shit,_ Clint replied.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peggy has awakened!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really happy with the ending, but I'm in quite a bit of pain right now so I figured I'd post it anyways.

_1944_

“Agent Carter, do you mind if I hide out in here for a while?” Steve asked, opening the door of her office.

Peggy looked up from the report she was writing and raised one eyebrow. “What did you do this time?”

“Nothing,” Steve insisted, an innocent expression in his face. At her unimpressed look, he grinned sheepishly. “Nothing permanent.”

Peggy wanted to kiss the expression off his face. _Later_ , she reminded herself, _maybe once Barnes gets here._

She knew any one of them could die in the near future, so she intended to make the most of what she had now.

0o0o0

_2015_

For a moment, Peggy didn’t believe it was real. She thought it might have been a new twist of her disease. And yet, for the first time in years, her thoughts were clear. She could remember everything that had happened prior to her contraction of Alzheimer’s with crystal clarity.

“Oh Lord,” she breathed, staring at her hands where they gripped the metal rails of her bed frame, as young and strong as they had been back when she was 22. Stronger, even, if they dents in the rails were any indication. Peggy pinched herself on the arm, then hissed in surprise when it hurt.

“Peggy?” Steve whispered wonderingly. “What happened to you?”

For the first time since Peggy’s mind had been flooded with yellow light and she had found herself changed, she looked over at Steve. She could feel tears push against her lower eyelids, but she swiped them away before the had a chance to fall. Nothing hurt, and the sudden absence of pain was shocking.

“I don’t know,” she croaked as she sat up, her traitorous throat trying to sob. “There was a yellow light, and now nothing hurts.”

Steve raised his hand and gently cradled her face. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay.”

“You don’t know that,” Peggy accused. “For all we know, this could be the result of some dastardly plot by HYDRA.”

Steve smirked. “I don’t think HYDRA would be stupid enough to bring you back. Not that it would be stupid of you to be young again, because this is amazing and a miracle, and maybe we should find a doctor to make sure nothing’s wrong.”

Peggy laughed. “Alright, but first, I am getting out of this bed.”

“That might not be the best idea,” Steve said.

“Steve, do you know how long I’ve been stuck in bed?” Peggy asked, her voice saccharine in its sweetness. “Too damn long. Now move over.”

Peggy pushed him away then swung her legs over the side of the bed. Wordlessly, Steve offered her his arm, and she grabbed it tight enough to bruise a normal person. He didn’t complain though, only offered his silent support as she lowered herself to her feet for the first time in years.

Her knees buckled momentarily, but whether that was from emotion or physical weakness Peggy wasn’t sure. She was grateful that Steve didn’t say anything though.

Ever so slowly, she released his arm, her stomach tingling with nerves. Her legs stood strong, and Peggy suddenly felt ready to take on the world.

“Alright,” Peggy said, clapping her hands together abruptly. “So, HYDRA is back, hiding within my organization the whole time, those bastards, and you said they’ve been brainwashing Sergeant Barnes?”

Steve nodded, his brow furrowing in confusion.

“Well, then we’ll just have to find him,” she reasoned.

“Peggy no,” he exclaimed. “Not even ten minutes ago you were dying. Besides, you agreed that we’d see a doctor first.”

Peggy sighed. “Since when are you the sensible one?”

Steve shrugged. Before he could say anything though, the door opened, and a black man with short hair and a bearing that screamed military came into the room.

“Hey Steve, Clint texted me -oh,” the man said, noticing Peggy for the first time. “What’s going on?”

“We’re not quite sure yet. Peggy Carter, pleased to meet you,” she said, sticking out her hand.

“Sam Wilson,” he replied, smiling brightly. He had a firm grip, well-calloused, and Peggy decided that she liked him immediately. “Do you mind if I step outside for a second?”

Sam left.

Peggy and Steve looked at each other.

“He seemed like a nice man,” Peggy commented.

Steve smiled. “Yeah, he’s great. I wonder what Clint needed?”


	4. Chapter 4

What Clint needed, as it turned out, was backup in case things went south. Things being the two new women. He was insistent that the taller woman was an unknown Asgardian and, therefore, a threat.

Peggy hadn’t let Steve leave her behind in her hospital room, not if there was a threat nearby that she could help with, and so Steve got to witness her reunion with Janet van Dyne first hand.

“Jan,” Peggy gasped upon seeing the shorter woman, “Is that you?”

The other woman blinked and furrowed her brow. “Peggy? You look a lot younger than I remember.”

After the Ant-Man had broken into their facilities and stolen something, Steve had read up on the files from SHIELD about him. He recognized the name Janet van Dyne from those files, another doctor with similar abilities called the Wasp. It had also been noted that Peggy had been her mentor in SHIELD, so Steve carefully watched her interactions with Peggy. If anyone could figure out if the woman was actually the SHIELD agent who went MIA years ago, it would be her. Based on their interactions, Peggy seemed to trust her, which had always been good enough for Steve.

He turned his attention to the woman Clint thought was an Asgardian, and smiled his best USO showgirl smile. “Ma’am, may I ask what you’re doing here?”

The woman raised her head regally. “My companions and I have just escaped from the Hidden Realm. Now, if you will excuse me, I must return to Asgard. Norns only know what Odin has done with it in my absence.”

Steve grimaced. “I’m afraid I can’t let you-”

“No, Captain!” Pietro interrupted. “It is okay, she is the queen.”

“I don’t think we have the resources to keep the queen of Asgard hostage, anyways,” Sam said, shooting Steve a look.

Wanda got up from her brother’s bedside and engulfed the queen- Frigga, if Steve remembered Thor’s tales accurately- in a giant hug. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for bringing him back.”

Frigga hugged her back. “You’re welcome child. Although the credit does not lie solely with me. Janet van Dyne and Scott Lang also helped.”

Steve filed away the name Scott Lang for later investigation. Meanwhile, a tearfully happy Wanda had released Frigga in order to ambush Janet. Janet froze momentarily, while Peggy stifled a laugh, before gently patting Wanda on the back.

“You must be Wanda,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Wanda smiled and returned to Pietro’s side.

“I understand almost everything that’s going on,” Janet began, addressing the entire room.

“That makes one of us,” Clint muttered.

“Except for Peggy. You’re a lot younger than you should be, and now you have super strength.” Janet continued, addressing her friend directly.

Steve had noticed that Peggy was stronger than normal, but he had thought it was just in comparison to her former weak state.

Frigga sighed. “That was our fault as well. When we were pulled from the Hidden Realm, there was excess energy. Your friend was simply the nearest receptacle.”

“Well, I’m certainly not going to complain,” Peggy said after a momentary pause. “Although that still doesn’t explain the super strength.”

“A quirk in the magic, possibly,” Frigga suggested. “If I had more time, then mayhap I would have a better answer, but I must return to Asgard.”

“I can show you to the clearing Thor uses, if you’d like,” Steve volunteered.

“I would appreciate that very much,” Frigga smiled regally.

“I’ll call Tony and Nat, let them know what happened,” Sam said. “Wouldn’t want anyone to freak out, after all.”

“Thanks Sam,” Steve responded, before escorting Frigga out of the room.

They didn’t say much as Steve led her through the halls of the facility. Mostly, Frigga seemed to be taking in her surroundings. Steve thought she might be trying to get an insight into why Thor stayed here so often.

“How is the Lady Jane?” Frigga asked after a while.

“Dr. Foster?” Steve clarified. When she nodded, he continued. “I’ve heard that she’s doing well. According to Thor, she’s been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics.”

“Is the Nobel Prize a great honor on Midgard?” Frigga asked.

“Oh, yes, definitely,” Steve assured her.

“Excellent. When last I saw Thor’s beloved, she was still the host of the Aether, so you understand my concern,” she explained.

Steve nodded, and they continued on in silence.

“One more thing, Captain,” Frigga said once they reached the landing site. “When my son, Loki, invaded your realm with the Chitauri, he was not acting of his own volition.”

Steve felt icy dread creep up his spine. “What do you mean?”

“He was working under the direction of a being called Thanos, the Mad Titan. He seeks to obtain control over all of the Infinity Stones and send everyone in the galaxy to their graves,” Frigga warned.

“Infinity Stones?” Steve asked, his mind shying away from the rest of what she had said instinctively.

“The Tesseract was one of them. The Mind Stone your friend wears on his forehead is another. Thanos will be coming for it.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

Frigga looked up at the sky. “Someone needs to know. I go to Asgard with the goal of uniting it and the rest of the Nine Realms against Thanos. Midgard is one of the Realms, and so you deserve to know of the threat we all face. And if I fail, you must do whatever it takes to keep the Mind Stone out of Thanos’ hands.”

“Thank you for letting me know,” Steve said.

Frigga smiled then yelled “Heimdall, open the Bifrost!” as she stepped onto the landing site

Steve stayed back as, moments later, the Bifrost thundered down and swept the queen away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen: Peggy and Janet were definitely friends at SHIELD.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was getting long, so I split it into 2 parts so you guys could get the first part early. Next chapter will also be from Frigga's pov.
> 
> Also, I subscribe to the idea that Loki is, in human years, about 17 or 18, so that shows up here.

Frigga felt a great deal of the tension she had been carrying vanish once the Bifrost deposited her on Asgard. She was home.

“It is good to see you alive, my queen,” Heimdall greeted, his face stoic as always. It was only a long friendship that let her see the twinkle in his eye and know that he was truly glad to see her. “I believe there is someone who wishes to see you on the Bridge.”

Frigga smiled. “It is good to be home, my friend, and I thank you for your kind words.”

She carefully made her way out of the Bifrost chamber, relishing each step. If she hadn’t had a contingency plan, then she would have been dead in truth, never to see her home again.

Thor was waiting for her on the bridge; as soon as he saw her he swept her into a giant hug.

“I missed you, mother,” he said, clutching at her tightly.

Frigga smiled against his shoulder and then pulled back slightly to look at his face, cupping his cheek. “I am so sorry I had to leave you, my son.”

“No, it was not any fault of yours,” Thor insisted, leaning into her hand. “The blame lies solely with Malekith; he was the one who struck you down.”

Frigga marveled at the maturity Thor was showing. He had truly grown since the Allfather banished him. True, she had seen some of his maturity after his banishment, but much had occurred since then, and he had grown wiser for it.

“Shall we?” Thor asked, gesturing to the horses he had brought with him.

Frigga nodded at him and mounted up her horse, and together they rode off towards the palace.

Despite the happy reunion, she was not anticipating her homecoming to be easy. Odin would accept her return - he knew the strength of her seidr - but she doubted he would so easily accept her decision to rally the Nine Realms against Thanos, to say nothing of the rest of the galaxy.

Frigga knew something was wrong the minute she laid eyes on Odin. It was subtle, the way he held himself, the feel of his seidr, things no one would have picked up on unless they had spent thousands of years by his side. However, she let none of the unease she felt show on her face. It wouldn’t do to give away her advantage.

The imposter was good, phenomenal even, to be able to fool all of Asgard, and Frigga couldn’t get a good enough read on their seidr to determine anything beyond that she was familiar with them.

“We are gladdened to see that you are alive, Allmother,” Odin said upon seeing her. “Tonight we shall feast in celebration!”

There was a great roar of approval from the court.

Frigga felt a great deal of confusion because the emotions behind the imposter’s announcement were real. He was relieved and joyful at her return, and overall he seemed to hold love for her.

There were few beings powerful enough to be able to shield their seidr from her, fewer still who looked upon her fondly. There was only one person it could be.

Loki.

But how had he come to impersonate Odin? Last she had seen, he had still been imprisoned in the dungeons, and his sentence had not yet been finished. Additionally, where was Odin while Loki pretended to be him?

Frigga smiled graciously at the man on the throne. “I thank you, Allfather. May we speak in private? There is much that I have discovered whilst I was away that will be vital for the continued future of Asgard.”

Loki nodded. “Of course, my queen.”

“I shall see you at the feast, mother,” Thor said, before nodding his head and retreating in the direction of his friends.

Frigga and Loki, still in his disguise as Odin, retired to one of Frigga’s private sitting rooms. Handmaidens were putting the finishing touches on the room, no doubt alerted to Frigga’s survival and ordered to redecorate her rooms.

“You are dismissed,” Frigga said. They bowed deeply and left.

“What is it you wished to speak with me about?” Loki asked once they were alone.

Frigga raised her brows. “When were you released from the dungeons, my son? You still had another century to serve when I left.”

“I do not follow,” Loki said.

“You may have fooled Asgard, but you cannot fool me, Loki.”

Loki stared at her for a moment, his eyes narrowed in thought, before he released the glamor. He was too thin, and there was a manic glint in his eyes, which were underscored by deep purple.

“Oh, Loki, what has happened to you?” Frigga asked, stretching out her hands and pulling him into her embrace. 

“My heart leapt with joy when I heard you lived, Mother,” he confessed, clinging to her. “Odin has slipped back into the Odinsleep, and Thor wishes to remain on Midgard. I was the only one who could - who knew - who -”

“You are so clever that I often forget how young you still are,” Frigga said. “Fear not, I will take care of this. However, you must return to the dungeons.”

“Mother, no!” Loki exclaimed, pulling away from her. “I refuse to return!”

Frigga had known he would say such, but she had hoped not to have to force the issue. “Then you refuse to take responsibility for your actions? You are young, yes, but you are not a child, Loki. You attacked Jotunheim; the remainder of your sentence must be carried out.”

Any trace of emotion wiped itself from Loki’s face. 

Frigga sighed. “I will see if I can wake your father, and then we will speak further.”

Loki said nothing as she swept out of the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Frigga located Odin in Loki’s room, hidden behind another glamor, designed to make him look like a couch. The first thing he said once she roused him was “So I’m dead then.”

“No, don’t be ridiculous.”

“We held your funeral, my queen. Therefore I am either dead or insane,” Odin reasoned. 

“That you have so little faith in my abilities is hurtful, Odin. It would take more than the likes of Malekith to slay me,” Frigga said, narrowing her eyes.

“You are truly alive,” Odin mused, sitting up and reaching out. Frigga grasped his hand with her own, clutching it tightly.

“Yes, I am. We have much to speak of,” she warned. “And you will not be happy for very much longer.”

“Oh?” he asked as he stood, leaning slightly on her arm for support.

“Loki has escaped from the dungeons.”

“Yes, yes, I was informed. Is that all?” Odin interrupted.

“And if you had not interrupted me, I would have finished telling you that he has been impersonating you for some time now,” Frigga said with a tight smile. Norns knew she loved Odin, but there were times when it was difficult to like him.

“That is impossible. Loki is dead,” Odin declared.

“It would not be the first time you thought him dead,” Frigga pointed out.

Odin cursed under his breath.

“Loki also told me that you informed him that his sentence was for life,” she said dryly.

Odin was silent.

Frigga pursed her lips together to hold back the scathing comments just waiting to burst free. Both of her children would be present before she continued their discussion. She considered sending a guard to locate Thor, but she decided against it, a feeling telling her that Thor would already be at their destination.

Thor was in fact waiting for them just outside the door, a hesitant expression on his face that fell away when he saw them.

“Father, what has happened to you?” he asked, pulling Odin’s arm over his shoulder to offer his support.

“I was in the Odinsleep,” Odin said.

“But how?” Thor asked. “I saw you not more than a few hours ago.”

“Worry not, Thor,” Frigga said with a wry smile. “You shall soon have the answers you seek.”

Odin sighed heavily, but didn’t say anything as Frigga pushed open her door and led the way into her room.

“Loki!” Thor bellowed as soon as he saw his brother.

“Thor,” Loki greeted calmly.

“I should have known it was you. How many times will you make us grieve falsely brother, whilst you scheme elsewhere?” Thor asked.

“Boys!” Frigga snapped before Loki could release the hurtful, cutting remarks on his tongue. “We will be having a calm discussion. There shall be no violence of arms or of words in this room.”

Odin snorted. Frigga glared at him. They would be having words once their sons were out of the room.

“I’m sorry, Mother,” Thor said.

“Yes, sorry,” Loki mumbled, staring at the floor.

“Additionally, no one shall be leaving this room until we have resolved a few concerns of mine,” Frigga added, placing a quick weaving of seidr over the door as she spoke.

Odin and Thor began protesting immediately, but Frigga ignored them. She was in great need of rest, but would be unable to have it until the words that never should have gone unsaid were spoken and the lies corrected.

“Now, first of all, Loki, your sentence _was not_ for life but for a mere century, and you were to be allowed visitors,” Frigga announced.

“Father, you _lied_ ,” Thor exclaimed. “Why would you do that?”

Loki’s eyes grew wide with shock, although whether it was because of the truth or that Thor was defending him she couldn’t tell. It might have been both.

“After what he did, attacking both Midgard and Jotunheim, he deserved to suffer for life,” Odin argued. “He should not have gotten off easy because he was a prince. What kind of example would that be?”

“He has not even reached his first millennium yet. The highest punishment anyone can have at that age is a century,” Frigga said.

“I thought he might have sentenced me for life because I am not a true Asgardian,” Loki said.

Frigga broke off from glaring at Odin to glance over at her younger son, who looked miserable despite his calm facade. It was the tightness about his eyes and mouth that gave him away, along with the slight hunch to his shoulders. He was practically broadcasting his emotions for those who cared to look.

“You are as much a child of Asgard as any,” she said, reaching out for him.

Loki only turned away, spurning whatever comfort she could offer him. It hurt, but Frigga could understand. Her youngest was afraid to accept compassion when he was certain it would only be yanked away from him.

“That does not change what he has done,” Odin said grimly. “Loki must still reap the consequences of what he has sown.”

“Then let him serve out the rest of his sentence,” Thor suggested. “Loki should spend the next century imprisoned for his crimes, but no more than that.”

“There is also the matter of Thanos,” Frigga said with a calm she did not feel.

The skin around Odin’s mouth tightened. “The Mad Titan is gone, dead on some long forgotten world. You will not speak of him.”

Loki chuckled without any humor. “If you truly believe that then you are a greater fool than I thought.”

Odin stepped forward threateningly. “I will banish you to the darkest corner of the dungeon if you -”

“Enough, Father, Loki,” Thor said, stepping between the two. “Let us listen to Mother. She would not bring up Thanos if she did not believe it important.”

“Thank you, Thor.” Frigga nodded. It was always rewarding to see her elder son use what little diplomatic skills he had retained from his lessons. “The Mad Titan has resurfaced and I believe that he intends to restore the Infinity Gauntlet. Odin, you and I will have a discussion with your advisors on how to go about fortifying the Nine Realms against him. I have already warned Thor’s Midgardian companions to the danger that threatens them, so we must be sure to take that into consideration. Whilst you are gathering your advisors, Thor and I will escort Loki to his new cell and make sure he is comfortable. Are there any objections?”

Odin looked like he wanted to argue, but he wisely held his tongue before he stalked from the room.

“Why should I let you put me back in the dungeons?” Loki asked, magic gathering around him.

“Were you not the one who said a hundred years is nothing, only a heartbeat for the likes of us?” Thor asked.

The magic fell away from Loki as he stared at Thor. “And how is your mortal lady?”

Thor smiled, open and honest. “She is doing very well. People from all over Midgard wish to learn from her.”

“Interesting,” he said in a tone that implied the exact opposite. Loki sighed dramatically. “Very well, Thor, Mother, let us go to my cell.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Earth!

Janet felt like she had been existing in a state of perpetual confusion ever since she’d left the Quantum Realm. She had understood the process that had returned herself, Frigga, and Pietro to their own realm, and a little bit about why Peggy was younger and stronger than she remembered. However, she had no idea where, or even when, she was after they had left the Quantum Realm. Except for Peggy and Wanda, all the people she met had been Americans, so she felt it was safe to assume they were somewhere in America. The time period, however, was a different story.

Just from what she could see in the room around her, Janet wanted to guess that she’d been trapped for a long time. The technology was incredibly advanced, like something out of Star Trek.

Oh god, Hope. How old was she now? Janet wanted to believe that she wasn’t physically younger than her own daughter by now, but she was almost afraid to ask what year it was.

She had gained nothing by listening to her fear, though, so Janet forced it down and turned to the strange purple man who’d known her face. “Do you know what year it is?”

“It is 2015,” he said softly, as if that would lessen the blow. “Twenty eight years since you were reported missing in action.”

The floor dropped out from under her. _Twenty eight years_. Hope would be all grown up by now, an adult of thirty six. Would her daughter even remember her? What had Hank told her when Janet had gone missing all those years ago?

Something of what she’d been feeling must have shown on her face, because Peggy wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in, tucking Janet’s head beneath her own. Janet hugged Peggy back, feeling like the other woman might be the only stable thing in the room.

“I’m so sorry, darling. You must be so confused right now,” Peggy murmured, running her hand up and down Janet’s back. “Let’s go get you some tea, and when Steve comes back you can talk to him. He has experience with a similar situation.”

Janet nodded and pulled back enough to give Peggy a tentative smile. “That sounds good. Are you going to be okay, Pietro?”

Pietro snorted. “I am not the one who has been dead for twenty eight years.”

“Agent Barton, we will require your services as well,” Peggy said. “Neither of us knows the way to the kitchens.”

Barton sighed and stood. “Suppose if I don’t you two will just get into trouble. Steve’s told us enough stories about you Director Carter.”

“I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about,” Peggy sniffed as she winked at Janet.

Wanda waved to them as they left Pietro’s room from her perch on her brother’s bed. Her purple friend nodded solemnly.

“Hey Friday,” Barton said once the door closed behind them. “Which way to the nearest kitchen?”

“Take the next left, and the third door on your right is a communal room with an attached kitchen, Agent Barton,” said a female voice from the walls.

Janet blinked in mild surprise. She was still shocked and reeling from learning that it had been twenty eight years since she had fallen into the Quantum Realm, and she didn’t think there was anything else that could startle her, not even a voice from the walls. “What?”

“Is Friday one of Anthony’s AIs, Agent Barton?” Peggy asked a little fondly.

“Yeah,” Barton answered. “How do you know about them?”

“I was old, not dead,” Peggy retorted. “And besides, I loved to hear about his work whenever he came to visit me.”

“Wait, by AI do you mean Artificial Intelligence? And Little Anthony’s made more than one?” Janet asked. “Right, it’s been twenty eight years. Tell me, is there an American colony on Mars yet?”

“From what I recall, the funding for the space program has dropped drastically since the USSR disbanded,” Peggy responded.

“NASA’s getting more money from the government now that we know that aliens are out there and hostile,” Barton clarified.

Janet nodded slowly as she digested the new information. The Soviets were gone, and aliens were real. Okay. She could do this. “I think I’d like that tea now.”

Peggy placed her hand on Janet’s shoulder, and they walked in silence to the communal room. She guided Janet to sit down on one of the couches. Barton sat down next to her and did his best to explain some of the things that had happened since she disappeared while Peggy made tea. After it was done, she handed Janet a steaming mug and sat down on her other side, much like she used to during Janet’s training, when she had been too exhausted to do much more than crash afterwards. Peggy had been a constant then, and she was a constant now. Janet didn’t know what she’d have done if her mentor wasn’t here.

Agent Barton shifted in his seat from time to time, but aside from that the only sound to pierce the silence that had settled over the room like a warm blanket was that of three people drinking their tea. It was soothing in its own way, letting Janet adjust to simply having a body again, after so long existing as something else, something she struggled to wrap her mind around even now. She concentrated on her breathing, on the heat of the bodies next to her and the mug in her hands, on the cushions beneath and behind her, and ignored everything she had learned about the future in the past couple of minutes, coming to a tentative peace of mind.

It was shattered when another woman walked into the room, a familiar redhead whom Janet had nearly captured or killed countless times, who had in turn nearly killed both herself and Hank on multiple occasions, who was, without a doubt, the deadliest enemy Janet had ever faced. It was the Black Widow.

**Author's Note:**

> I post daily ficlets on [tumblr](http://thefreakwiththewings.tumblr.com/), one from each of my many WIPs per day, including this fic.


End file.
